Kentucky paycheck calculator for 2026
Type your pay before tax and how often it lands. See what federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and Kentucky take, and what's left, per paycheck and for the year.
Checked October 27, 2026
Kentucky taxes wages at a flat 3.5%. On $60,000 a year, single, paid every two weeks, take-home in Kentucky comes to about $1,862 a paycheck, after $76 of Kentucky income tax. The calculator below works it out for your pay.
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Take-home pay
$2,010per paycheck
| Line | Per paycheck | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | $2,500 | $65,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$216 | −$5,620 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$155 | −$4,030 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$36 | −$943 |
| Kentucky income tax | −$83 | −$2,157 |
| Take-home | $2,010 | $52,250 |
Kentucky's return instructions treat local government occupational, license or income tax as separate from the state income tax, so a local tax can come on top of the state's. Local taxes are not included in the calculator.
An estimate for 2026: the year's income tax spread evenly over your paychecks, using the standard deduction. Your employer uses the IRS withholding tables and your W-4, so a real paycheck can be a little different. Credits (like the child tax credit), other income and local taxes aren't included.
How Kentucky taxes a paycheck
- Kentucky taxes wages at one flat rate of 3.5% for 2026. It was 4% in 2025.
- The standard deduction for 2026 is $3,360, up $90 from 2025, and it is adjusted each year for inflation.
- Kentucky has no personal exemptions. A joint return gets one standard deduction, not one per spouse.
- Someone who works in Kentucky but lives in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia (with a daily commute) or Ohio can be exempt from Kentucky withholding, because those states have reciprocal agreements with Kentucky.
Kentucky has a flat income tax of 3.5%. A single filer gets a standard deduction of $3,360. Traditional 401(k) contributions come out of Kentucky taxable pay.
| Rate | Taxable income, single |
|---|---|
| 3.5% | $0 and up |
What else comes out of a Kentucky paycheck
Beyond federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and Kentucky income tax, the calculator takes nothing else out of a Kentucky paycheck, other than what you choose, like a 401(k) or health insurance.
Local income tax in Kentucky
Kentucky's return instructions treat local government occupational, license or income tax as separate from the state income tax, so a local tax can come on top of the state's. Local taxes are not included in the calculator.
Kentucky's return instructions treat a local government occupational, license or income tax as separate from the state income tax, so a local tax can come on top of the state's. The calculator doesn't include it, so check your local rate.
How often Kentucky employers pay
Kentucky (KRS 337.020) says every employer pays as often as semimonthly, and wages must cover a day no more than 18 days before the payment date.
More about Kentucky pay
Kentucky's flat rate fell from 4% in 2025 to 3.5% in 2026, and the standard deduction is $3,360. There are no personal exemptions.
Kentucky has reciprocal agreements with Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia (with a daily commute) and Ohio. Someone who works in Kentucky but lives in one of those can be exempt from Kentucky withholding.
A worked example
$60,000 a year, single, paid every two weeks (26 paychecks of $2,307.69), with nothing taken out before tax:
| Line | Per paycheck | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Pay before tax | $2,308 | $60,000 |
| Federal income tax | $193 | $5,020 |
| Social Security | $143 | $3,720 |
| Medicare | $33 | $870 |
| Kentucky income tax | $76 | $1,982 |
| Take-home | $1,862 | $48,408 |
Other states
50 other states are in the paycheck tax calculator.
Questions people ask
How much is $60,000 a year after taxes in Kentucky?
About $48,408 a year, or $1,862 a paycheck paid every two weeks, for a single filer with no 401(k) or health insurance through work. Federal income tax is $5,020, Social Security $3,720, Medicare $870, and Kentucky income tax $1,982.
Does Kentucky have a state income tax?
Yes. Kentucky taxes wages at a flat 3.5%.
Does a 401(k) lower Kentucky income tax?
Yes. Kentucky leaves traditional 401(k) contributions out of taxable wages, like the federal tax does. Putting $3,600 a year in (6% of $60,000) lowers Kentucky tax by about $126.
Is there local income tax in Kentucky?
Kentucky's return instructions treat local government occupational, license or income tax as separate from the state income tax, so a local tax can come on top of the state's. Local taxes are not included in the calculator.
Why is my Kentucky paycheck smaller than the calculator says?
Maybe a local occupational tax. Kentucky's return instructions treat local occupational, license or income taxes as separate from the state's, and the calculator shows state tax only.
I live in Indiana and work in Kentucky. Is Kentucky tax taken out?
Not if you file the reciprocity form. Kentucky has agreements with Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia and Ohio.
Sources
10 sources · read October 27, 2026
Every number on this page comes from revenue.ky.gov, apps.legislature.ky.gov and irs.gov. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
- 1Kentucky Department of Revenue: Withholding Kentucky Income Tax, Instructions for Employers (revised March 2026)revenue.ky.gov
- 2Kentucky Department of Revenue: Kentucky DOR Announces 2026 Standard Deductionrevenue.ky.gov
- 3Kentucky Department of Revenue: Form 740 packet instructions (joint returns, one standard deduction)revenue.ky.gov
- 4Kentucky Revised Statutes 337.020, time of payment of wagesapps.legislature.ky.gov
- 5IRS: Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 tax brackets and standard deduction)irs.gov
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- 6IRS: Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (2026 wage base $184,500)irs.gov
- 7IRS: Topic 560, Additional Medicare Taxirs.gov
- 8IRS: Topic 424, 401(k) plans (deferrals still owe Social Security and Medicare)irs.gov
- 9IRS: Publication 15-B, Table 2-1 (health benefits through work are exempt)irs.gov
- 10IRS: Publication 15-T, Table 3 (pay periods per year)irs.gov
Wonderful gives general information. It isn't a financial or tax advisor.